UVa Men's Golfers Open Play at NCAA Regional Thursday

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Charlottesville, VA – The 19th-ranked Virginia men’s golf team begins play at the NCAA Regional Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich., Thursday, May 17. The Cavaliers will compete as the No. 4 seed among 13 teams at the site. The top five finishers from the three-day, 54-hole event advance to the NCAA Championships May 29 to June 3 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

The field for the Ann Arbor regional includes (listed by seed): 1. USC, 2. Oregon, 3. Kent State, 4. Virginia, 5. Baylor, 6. Oklahoma State, 7. Kennesaw State, 8. TCU, 9. Purdue, 10. NC State, 11. Notre Dame, 12. Ohio State and 13. Navy. A total of 81 teams are competing at six regional sites. In addition to the top five teams advancing from each site, the top two individuals not a member of a qualifying team will also move on to the NCAA Championships.

The Cavaliers start play Thursday at 8:20 a.m. from the No. 10 tee. They are paired with Baylor and Oklahoma State during the opening round.

The regional berth marks the 16th time since 1990 the Cavaliers have received a bid to postseason play. Virginia is looking to advance to the NCAA Championships for the 14th time in its history. Last year the Cavaliers were eighth at a regional site in Radford, Va., and failed to advance to the NCAA Championships after making three consecutive appearances from 2008-2010.

Virginia’s lineup for the Regional will include seniors Ben Kohles and Bruce Woodall, sophomore Ben Rusch and freshmen Denny McCarthy and Ji Soo Park. Kohles, Rusch and McCarthy were all named to the 2012 All-ACC squad with McCarthy also picking up freshman of the year honors. Rusch won the 2012 ACC individual crown.

Kohles, the ACC Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011, leads the team with a 71.17 stroke average. He has two victories this year to go along with five top-10 finishes. McCarthy is second on the team with a 72.17 stroke average. He also has five top-10 outings this year.

Live scoring of the tournament will be online at Golfstat.com